Paris - World number one Novak Djokovic showed great composure to beat Italian Potito Starace 7-6 6-3 6-1 and reach the second round of the French Open on Monday.
The Serbian was dragged into a first-set tiebreak, which he won 7-3, before gradually outpacing the world number 97 as he bids to become the first man in 43 years to hold all four grand slams simultaneously.
Starace put up a decent fight in the opening set and was only broken in the fifth game of the second before Djokovic, who did not face a single break point throughout, found his stride on a sundrenched Court Philippe Chatrier and raced home in just over two hours.
Djokovic next faces Blaz Kavcic after the Slovenian knocked out former world number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. – Reuters